Kenya’s men’s and women’s beach volleyball teams are bullish about their chances to punch their tickets to the FIVB Senior Beach Volleyball World Championships at the 2025 CAVB African Beach Volleyball Championships, set for June 23–30 in Morocco.
The African Championships serve as qualifiers for the World Beach Volleyball Championships set for Adelaide, Australia, from November 14 to 23.
This year’s edition marks a historic milestone as the most heavily attended African Beach Volleyball Championship, with 88 women’s pairs from 22 nations and 114 men’s pairs from 27 countries confirmed.
The men's team include Kenya, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cape Verde, Algeria, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Togo, Uganda and Zambia.
Meanwhile, the women's competition will feature Kenya, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Algeria, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Togo, Uganda and Zambia.
Only the top four teams in each gender category will punch their tickets to the Adelaide showpiece.
Kenya team manager Robinson Okoth is bullish about their chances. "We started our training last Wednesday. The coaches have done their bit, and we believe the players are equal to the task."
"We are confident that they are going to perform well when they meet players in Africa, to qualify for the World Championships," Okoth said. Okoth highlighted the inclusion of key stars Elphas Makuto and Brian Melly, who recently wrapped up club duties with Rwanda Police and GSU, respectively.
“Makuto joined us on Wednesday, and Melly is also in camp. Having these seasoned players in the squad is a big boost,” Okoth noted.
The teams are currently in residential training, with the final travelling pairs (two players per gender) set to be named based purely on merit.
"When we wrap up training, the coaches will come up with the two players from both the men's and women's teams who will represent the country. Their selection will be solely based on merit," Okoth noted.
He further lauded the ministry for the support they have accorded the teams. "We appreciate the ministry for the effort they have put in to ensure the teams travel to Morocco for the tournament."
"I was also at the Moroccan embassy on Wednesday morning to ensure that all our players get their Visas, and I am happy that by Friday we will be having them."
National women’s head coach Salome Wanjala is determined to guide her team to redemption after a disappointing Olympic qualifying campaign in Morocco last year. “We didn’t perform to expectations during the Olympic qualifiers, but we have regrouped. This time, we are aiming for a top-four finish and a ticket to the World Championships,” she said.
Men’s head coach Patrick Owino echoed the optimism, noting his squad is healthy and mentally prepared. "Training has been going on well so far, and we expect to go to Morocco and qualify."
"We have not had any major issues in terms of injuries. The players are in the right shape," he said. Despite the confidence, Owino decried the minimal training period the teams had, owing to the Kenya Volleyball Federation (KVF) League playoffs. "We are going to have a strict competition, but we are well prepared despite having a short training period."
"This is mainly because the players we are using the League playoffs as part of the build-up for the Morocco event," Owino said.
Owino further hailed the growing popularity of beach volleyball in Kenya, revealing a new milestone on the horizon.
"Beach volleyball is a rising game, and it is gaining a lot of popularity in Kenya. We are also going to introduce it in school games in August this year," he noted. The teams are expected to depart for Morocco by Sunday.
